McLaughlin, regal and youthful at 74, has spent most of his life dazzling audiences with his ruggedly virtuosic musicianship.

The politicos hooted and hollered, mid-performance. The guitarist John McLaughlin, playing among other revered Davis alumni including Shorter, Chick Corea and Marcus Miller, delivered one of his patented hellfire-bebop solos over the heavyweight modal groove-fingers dancing up and down the fretboard, tone snarling, a brief but potent celebration of the possibilities of the electric guitar. More unforced hurrahs occurred not far into an inspired rendition of Miles Davis’ “Spanish Key,” understandably concise for the occasion. Aretha Franklin singing Prince’s “Purple Rain” in tribute an astonishingly precocious take on “Footprints” from piano prodigy Joey Alexander, in a trio with Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding sharply crafted opening remarks from President Barack Obama: These are things you feel compelled to clap for. A lot of earnest applause happened on the South Lawn of the White House in late April, when the International Jazz Day Global Concert was filmed there for TV broadcast.

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